Yeah it's weird one. I'm pretty used to them already tbh but the first GP weekend may be quite a shock to the system with them all out there on track in front of many cameras and angles.

But I think they'll be a stop-gap. I can see F1 wanting to go either the screen route that Indy tested and look like going in, or for a full canopy in the new regs which will be Liberty's first with full control. I think we'll get massive changes with the look of the cars and they may move into similar kind of territory of those concepts from Renault/Red Bull/McLaren.

_________________"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

I think what I find sad is that no child will look at these cars and be inspired the way I was with the cars of the early 90s.

It seems really odd to me that the FIA have spent an enormous amount of time trying to work rules to make the cars more attractive and then mandated something uglier than anything else we've seen. If you're going to put a halo on why even bother with the 2017 regs designed for aesthetics and the cost of overtaking?

Yes, they will and indeed do.

You're just looking at it from your perspective. I'd imagine that if I was watching F1 in the 60's, the addition of wings towards the end of the decade and of course the 70's would have looked catastrophic.

Oh come on... Just compare the 1991 V12 Ferrari to the 2018 Halo Ferrari. It's not the same.

We were promised the Halo would look better when "integrated". What we've seen is the Halo clearly cannot be integrated. Even the man who is basically responsible for it says he would like to take a chain saw to it.

I think what I find sad is that no child will look at these cars and be inspired the way I was with the cars of the early 90s.

It seems really odd to me that the FIA have spent an enormous amount of time trying to work rules to make the cars more attractive and then mandated something uglier than anything else we've seen. If you're going to put a halo on why even bother with the 2017 regs designed for aesthetics and the cost of overtaking?

Yes, they will and indeed do.

You're just looking at it from your perspective. I'd imagine that if I was watching F1 in the 60's, the addition of wings towards the end of the decade and of course the 70's would have looked catastrophic.

Oh come on... Just compare the 1991 V12 Ferrari to the 2018 Halo Ferrari. It's not the same.

We were promised the Halo would look better when "integrated". What we've seen is the Halo clearly cannot be integrated. Even the man who is basically responsible for it says he would like to take a chain saw to it.

Then the children in my class at school, who are either 10 or 11, are lying when they tell me the cars launched this past week look amazing.

I think what I find sad is that no child will look at these cars and be inspired the way I was with the cars of the early 90s.

It seems really odd to me that the FIA have spent an enormous amount of time trying to work rules to make the cars more attractive and then mandated something uglier than anything else we've seen. If you're going to put a halo on why even bother with the 2017 regs designed for aesthetics and the cost of overtaking?

Yes, they will and indeed do.

You're just looking at it from your perspective. I'd imagine that if I was watching F1 in the 60's, the addition of wings towards the end of the decade and of course the 70's would have looked catastrophic.

Oh come on... Just compare the 1991 V12 Ferrari to the 2018 Halo Ferrari. It's not the same.

We were promised the Halo would look better when "integrated". What we've seen is the Halo clearly cannot be integrated. Even the man who is basically responsible for it says he would like to take a chain saw to it.

Then the children in my class at school, who are either 10 or 11, are lying when they tell me the cars launched this past week look amazing.

Fair enough.

Jesus, I wonder what they would make of the 1991 Ferrari? Has the world really got that little beauty in it?

I think what I find sad is that no child will look at these cars and be inspired the way I was with the cars of the early 90s.

It seems really odd to me that the FIA have spent an enormous amount of time trying to work rules to make the cars more attractive and then mandated something uglier than anything else we've seen. If you're going to put a halo on why even bother with the 2017 regs designed for aesthetics and the cost of overtaking?

Yes, they will and indeed do.

You're just looking at it from your perspective. I'd imagine that if I was watching F1 in the 60's, the addition of wings towards the end of the decade and of course the 70's would have looked catastrophic.

Oh come on... Just compare the 1991 V12 Ferrari to the 2018 Halo Ferrari. It's not the same.

We were promised the Halo would look better when "integrated". What we've seen is the Halo clearly cannot be integrated. Even the man who is basically responsible for it says he would like to take a chain saw to it.

Then the children in my class at school, who are either 10 or 11, are lying when they tell me the cars launched this past week look amazing.

Fair enough.

Jesus, I wonder what they would make of the 1991 Ferrari? Has the world really got that little beauty in it?

Being inspired, which was your original point, does not require a car to be the prettiest in history, especially as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My point is that whilst some may really hate the 2018 car, that does not mean that it can not inspire. Aspects of them are wonderful and we can take inspiration from that, even if we don't like the car in its entirety. I can't stand lots of modern music, I'm predominantly a Britpop guy, but that does not mean that children cannot be inspired to follow, or indeed create their own music, having been inspired by the latest sounds.

Being inspired, which was your original point, does not require a car to be the prettiest in history, especially as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My point is that whilst some may really hate the 2018 car, that does not mean that it can not inspire. Aspects of them are wonderful and we can take inspiration from that, even if we don't like the car in its entirety. I can't stand lots of modern music, I'm predominantly a Britpop guy, but that does not mean that children cannot be inspired to follow, or indeed create their own music, having been inspired by the latest sounds.

My taste in music is not the correct taste. It's simply my taste.

I don't disagree really. Just frustrated as some of the cars this year could look really nice if it wasn't for the damn halo.

Being inspired, which was your original point, does not require a car to be the prettiest in history, especially as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My point is that whilst some may really hate the 2018 car, that does not mean that it can not inspire. Aspects of them are wonderful and we can take inspiration from that, even if we don't like the car in its entirety. I can't stand lots of modern music, I'm predominantly a Britpop guy, but that does not mean that children cannot be inspired to follow, or indeed create their own music, having been inspired by the latest sounds.

My taste in music is not the correct taste. It's simply my taste.

I don't disagree really. Just frustrated as some of the cars this year could look really nice if it wasn't for the damn halo.

I totally agree. Fingers crossed that Indycar nail the screen solution and it quickly finds its way into F1. I can't see them going back to the open cockpits of last year.

How many think FIA will backtrack and remove the Halo now they have mandated it?

First, They dont want to be seen backtracking and maybe they were wrong, and second, can you imagine what would happen if the year after the dropped it there was an indecent that the Halo really would have saved?

How many think FIA will backtrack and remove the Halo now they have mandated it?

First, They dont want to be seen backtracking and maybe they were wrong, and second, can you imagine what would happen if the year after the dropped it there was an indecent that the Halo really would have saved?

They won't.

The only circumstances which will see the halo being removed are if an even better, safer solution is found.

I'll be honest, on most of the car reveals I've had to specifically look for the halo because my eye automatically goes to the nose and the bodywork around the side pods and engine cover when I look at an F1 car.

How many think FIA will backtrack and remove the Halo now they have mandated it?

First, They dont want to be seen backtracking and maybe they were wrong, and second, can you imagine what would happen if the year after the dropped it there was an indecent that the Halo really would have saved?

I pretty much expected that once we started seeing the cars on-track, I'd barely even notice the Halo and that's exactly the case. At this point I think I find the constant 'Halo is awful' comments on every social media post more annoying than the Halo device itself...

I pretty much expected that once we started seeing the cars on-track, I'd barely even notice the Halo and that's exactly the case. At this point I think I find the constant 'Halo is awful' comments on every social media post more annoying than the Halo device itself...

I am going to indulge in a drinking game. For the Melbourne race, every time an announcer mentions the halo, I will quaff one pint.

Heck, I just may go full bogan.

You'll be passed out by the time the first stops happen.

The first stops? He won't even get to the end of the formation lap

Well since he said "race" I was thinking that he wouldn't start until the lights went out. If you started with the pre-race coverage you wouldn't even make it to the formation lap.

Also, unless you're like that old guy on the Benny Hill show who could just pour a beer down his throat I don't think it's possible to finish one pint before the next mention of the Halo when you'd have to drink again.

A lot of people I've seen complaining about the look of the Halo on the car. Sadly, nothing can be done now as FIA feels it's worth the safety.

People also wondered if it would hinder the driver's vision to some extent. When following testing & Force India's Twitter page, one more glitch / hassle looks it will hinder drivers. Ocon, who's one of the taller drivers has to take such trouble (so as to speak) to enter the car. This issue would only get double worse if for some reason the car catches fire or is in a precarious location on the track where the driver needs to get out in a hurry. Check this small video!

A lot of people I've seen complaining about the look of the Halo on the car. Sadly, nothing can be done now as FIA feels it's worth the safety.

People also wondered if it would hinder the driver's vision to some extent. When following testing & Force India's Twitter page, one more glitch / hassle looks it will hinder drivers. Ocon, who's one of the taller drivers has to take such trouble (so as to speak) to enter the car. This issue would only get double worse if for some reason the car catches fire or is in a precarious location on the track where the driver needs to get out in a hurry. Check this small video!

As much as it looks awkward to get into the car, I have literally no concerns that if a driver had to get out of their car in a hurry, they would be able to do. There is absolutely no way the FIA would've introduced something that might hinder that given the potential for a situation whereby not being able to escape the car could pose a risk to a driver's life.

I think what I find sad is that no child will look at these cars and be inspired the way I was with the cars of the early 90s.

It seems really odd to me that the FIA have spent an enormous amount of time trying to work rules to make the cars more attractive and then mandated something uglier than anything else we've seen. If you're going to put a halo on why even bother with the 2017 regs designed for aesthetics and the cost of overtaking?

Yes, they will and indeed do.

You're just looking at it from your perspective. I'd imagine that if I was watching F1 in the 60's, the addition of wings towards the end of the decade and of course the 70's would have looked catastrophic.

Oh come on... Just compare the 1991 V12 Ferrari to the 2018 Halo Ferrari. It's not the same.

We were promised the Halo would look better when "integrated". What we've seen is the Halo clearly cannot be integrated. Even the man who is basically responsible for it says he would like to take a chain saw to it.

Then the children in my class at school, who are either 10 or 11, are lying when they tell me the cars launched this past week look amazing.

Fair enough.

Amazing what a fresh mind with little prejudices perceives. Most fans are used to the appearance of the cars, in our minds they are attractive. But that is conditioning, we have become used to their appearance. But I see modern Formula One cars differently, they are garish constructs, a morph of praying mantis meets transformers meets Homer Simpson the drunk car designer.

Thus, IMO the halo is just taking an ugly car into fugly territory.

When wings started popping up, fans had the very same reaction. You could not ignore them, and in the eyes of most, they detracted from the beauty of the cars. But we are now so used to seeing wings, they do not even register on our personal "yuck" scale.

When wings started popping up, fans had the very same reaction. You could not ignore them, and in the eyes of most, they detracted from the beauty of the cars. But we are now so used to seeing wings, they do not even register on our personal "yuck" scale.

Not only do they not register on my scale, I actively like them. People have different opinions about what makes a good-looking car - it's not all about fresh perspective vs. long-time viewers.

Shark fin caused a lot of issues with looks not that long ago, and although some don't like them still, myself included, it does fade away a bit over time. Same with the latest nose cones which area dreadful compared to the early to mid 90's were in most cases. As for the massive amounts of stuck on aero bits on wongs, bargeboards and other places.

Shark fin caused a lot of issues with looks not that long ago, and although some don't like them still, myself included, it does fade away a bit over time. Same with the latest nose cones which area dreadful compared to the early to mid 90's were in most cases. As for the massive amounts of stuck on aero bits on wongs, bargeboards and other places.

Shark fin caused a lot of issues with looks not that long ago, and although some don't like them still, myself included, it does fade away a bit over time. Same with the latest nose cones which area dreadful compared to the early to mid 90's were in most cases. As for the massive amounts of stuck on aero bits on wongs, bargeboards and other places.

When wings started popping up, fans had the very same reaction. You could not ignore them, and in the eyes of most, they detracted from the beauty of the cars. But we are now so used to seeing wings, they do not even register on our personal "yuck" scale.

Not only do they not register on my scale, I actively like them. People have different opinions about what makes a good-looking car - it's not all about fresh perspective vs. long-time viewers.

(that said, the halo is ugly as hell! )

I've not known F1 without a front and rear wing but I detest the direction the front wing has taken with more and more elements being added.

For me this is a thing of beauty. Elegant, simple, strong and stylish.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5662/30200032841_eb31b0c234.jpg

While I appreciate the functionality of this wing, it looks hideous, it looks fragile and it's complicated.

I'm a little concerned about drivers escaping the cockpit in the event of a fire. I think it will become substantially harder to do that now.

This gets brought up a lot when discussing the halo, but I don't really think it's a concern in modern F1: cars don't burn out of control anymore due to advances in fuel cell design, and even if they did marshals with fire extinguishers are never more than a few seconds away.

When was the last time that there was a serious fire in an F1 car that the driver would have needed to extricate themselves from in order to avoid injury?

I'm a little concerned about drivers escaping the cockpit in the event of a fire. I think it will become substantially harder to do that now.

This gets brought up a lot when discussing the halo, but I don't really think it's a concern in modern F1: cars don't burn out of control anymore due to advances in fuel cell design, and even if they did marshals with fire extinguishers are never more than a few seconds away.

When was the last time that there was a serious fire in an F1 car that the driver would have needed to extricate themselves from in order to avoid injury?

When was the last time there was an accident the halo would have prevented injury or death?They are supposed to be lowering risk, if the halo could increase risks in other ways it must be lower than those it reduces...

I'm a little concerned about drivers escaping the cockpit in the event of a fire. I think it will become substantially harder to do that now.

This gets brought up a lot when discussing the halo, but I don't really think it's a concern in modern F1: cars don't burn out of control anymore due to advances in fuel cell design, and even if they did marshals with fire extinguishers are never more than a few seconds away.

When was the last time that there was a serious fire in an F1 car that the driver would have needed to extricate themselves from in order to avoid injury?

When was the last time there was an accident the halo would have prevented injury or death?They are supposed to be lowering risk, if the halo could increase risks in other ways it must be lower than those it reduces...

In F1? A very long time ago. But in the rest of motorsport, quite recently - which is why the halo is being pushed to all FIA series, not just Formula One.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I am not in favor of the halo. But I don't think the risk of fire is a legitimate reason to oppose it.